Whenever there's a big show coming up, like WWE Survivor Series: WarGames this weekend, it can be instructive (not to mention fun) to go back and watch some older, related matches in the lead-up to the event. There are as many different ways to watch wrestling as there are individual wrestling fans, but here at Wrestling Inc., we love to cut up and rearrange wrestling history in interesting and unique ways, selecting a variety of matches with some sort of through-line connecting them and placing them side-by-side. This time around, we arespecifically looking at WarGames matches that have taken place in WWE!
We sincerely hope this column is around in future Novembers, so we can talk about the best traditional 5-on-5 matches, or the best WarGames (and Blood & Guts) matches to happen outside WWE. For this one though, we wanted to stick to WWE's version of the concept the one that Paul "Triple H" Levesque debuted on "NXT" before making it a staple of the Survivor Series event under his creative leadership. In 2025, Survivor Series will host a men's and a women's WarGames match for the fourth consecutive year, and there hasn't been a year without a WWE WarGames match since 2016. We'll be looking back at the first NXT Takeover: WarGames at little later this week; right now, it's time to get you ready for this weekend by taking a journey through the history of the WWE WarGames match!
"WWE NXT" went for a more traditional approach for the second attempt at a WarGames match, opting for two teams of four to go at it rather than three teams of three which, for me at least, makes the match flow a lot easier than its predecessor.
WarGames as a stipulation is an extremely easy one to book. There must be a lot of violence, people need to bleed, that violence and bloodshed must not stop until someone just says "I can't do this anymore just end my suffering," the heels MUST have the advantage, and the babyfaces need to all have great comebacks within them to make that "match beyond" feel even more terrifying. Of course, this is a WWE WarGames match meaning that there can't be any blood, but that doesn't mean that it can't be full of action and this match has that in buckets.
I'm not sure if this is the peak of the Undisputed Era as a faction as you could argue that comes in 2019, but they are the most in-tune, well oiled machine in wrestling at this point in 2018. They use all of the cheap heel tactics that come with the fact they have the man advantage, such as Bobby Fish locking Pete Dunne in the shark cage and throwing the key into the crowd, all of the members doing their best to keep Dunne out of the match by barricading the door shut, and using their respective brands of offense to grind any hopes of Ricochet or the War Raiders getting back into the match once it officially begins.
For the babyfaces, Ricochet is by far the star of the show. Giving a man with that much spring in his step this much room to do what he does best is a joy to watch, and that Double Moonsault from the top of the cage in the closing stretch still gets a pop out of me every time I see it, not just for how impressive it is, but because it's one of the final times he actually landed it. Hanson and Rowe are the brutish bulldozers who come into the match like a house on fire, while Dunne becomes the difference maker by adding the plunder to the match.
There are a few moments that don't necessarily land for me, with the main one being the "Captain America: Civil War" standoff in between the ropes just feeling a bit forced for my taste. Despite that, this was the match that made me think WWE knows how to book a WarGames match. Put eight guys in two rings and let them unleash hell, and unleash hell they did.
Written bySam Palmer
The 2019 NXT TakeOver women's WarGames match is important to this watchlist, and is a must-see, because it's the first of its kind. WWE may have brought back the WarGames concept in 2017, but it took two years for the strongest division of "NXT," the women, to be able to compete in the match. This was a perfect time for WWE to introduce the concept, as they were working with an epically talented women's roster, with the only argument being that the match could have been brought back an "NXT" class prior with the Four Horsewomen. However, better late than never, because this match was an excellent opener and putting the women in front of a Chicago crowd for this fight was a great idea.
The teams consisted ofRhea Ripley, Candice LaRae, Tegan Nox, and Dakota Kai as the babyfaces against the heel team of then-NXT Women's Champion Shayna Baszler, Bianca Belair, IYO SKY (then known as Io Shirai), and Kay Lee Ray, who would go on to be known as Alba Fyre. It was Shirai and LeRae to start off the match, and Team Baszler had the advantage, bringing in the powerhouse that is Belair, especially as a heel, into the mix relatively early, but it was Ripley out next to match her power.
There is some excellent wrestling to start off this bout, and the women didn't immediately bring weapons into the match, like we see these days with everyone grabbing something to bring with them. It took until the fourth woman to get some things in the ring, with "The Eradicator" grabbing what she could from underneath the ring. WarGames 2019 is of course the first time we saw Shirai/SKY hit her moonsault off the top of the cage, though in this match, she didn't have the trash can over her head. It's absolutely the spot of the match, which featured a few quality big spots, but not too many,and it looked excellent.
While I would have loved to see her in the match, the heel turn of Kai on Nox was a fun surprise, and Kai's brutal beatdown of Nox was awesome. In the end, somehow, it was Ripley and LeRae to overcome the numbers game and defeat the heel team. Ripley got the pin on the NXT Women's Champion off a Riptide on top of some chairs, while handcuffed to Baszler, which was a major victory for Ripley.
The first-ever women's WarGames match was a really solid affair with just enough big spots with weapons, combined with some excellent in-ring action and even a big surprise with Kai's turn. It's worth a re-watch, especially for big fans of the older days of "NXT."
Written byDaisyRuth
2021 was the year of new faces for WWE. Bianca Belair bested Sasha Banks, Big E cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, and the faces of NXT's "Black and Gold" era passed the proverbial torch to NXT's new "2.0" crew at that year's "NXT WarGames" event. The 8-man clash between Tommaso Ciampa's veteran coalition and Bron Breakker's team of scrappy in-ring upstarts marked NXT's shift from its previous gritty, indie-show aura to one of flashing lights, bright colors, and big-time television deals. This match isn't just a snoozefest history lesson, though. 2021's Men's WarGames match is just as entertaining today as it was profound back then, and it deserves to be on your pre-WarGames 2025 watchlist.
2021's Men's WarGames match was guaranteed to be a history-defining match as soon as its participant line-up was announced. Then-NXT Champion Ciampa was joined by Johnny Gargano, a staple in NXT's "Takeover" series, cult favorite LA Knight, and "NXT UK" legend Pete Dunne. On Breakker's team was then-NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes, resident smack-talker Grayson Waller, and feared in-ring mobster Tony D'Angelo: all men with something to prove in Shawn Michaels' "2.0" era. From a booking perspective, the parallels were glorious. The stakes for WarGames wrote themselves.
Old clashed with new in individually distinct ways. Gargano and Hayes clashed with their signature strikes and rapid athleticism. Waller engaged in the trash talk that made him famous. Dunne put on a joint manipulation masterclass. D'Angelo, Knight, Breakker, and Ciampa all contributed in ways that were unique, personal inimitable. Nobody fell to the wayside here not even the ringside Trick Williams, who stayed loyal to Hayes with his ringside interference (that is, up until he was scared off by the preying Dexter Lumis, who shot former teammate Gargano a thumbs-up before departing).
Despite no shortage of aggressive history between them, Team Ciampa maintained a united front. Such unity is crucial for the tale of NXT's "Black and Gold" history. The visual of Dunne, Gargano, Ciampa, and Knight fighting back-to-back against the closing-in forces of 2.0 is a prime example of in-ring storytelling. Team "Black and Gold," despite their past wounds, fought together during one last stint against the inevitable forces of Team 2.0 of change in a display of community. Community is what made NXT's "Black and Gold" era stand out in the first place. Before there was the CW, there was an audience of dedicated "NXT" fans who put WWE's developmental territory on the map.
This match is introspective and entertaining both historical and visually tantalizing. Before eight men walk into that two-cage structure in San Diego, consider rewatching a crucial match in the history of "NXT."
Written by Angeline Phu
Pro wrestling in 2025 hasn't really been resonating with me no matter which letters are on the logo, which is one of the reasons I was excited to re-watch the men's WarGames match from Survivor Series 2022. I was in a similar malaise that year, and this was the match that rekindled the spark in me that real pro wrestling love. After this match, wrestling was the best thing in the world for about nine months, and I will always treasure that period. I was eager to see if it could make me love wrestling again, and if you're wondering what the answer was, as another WINC writer said, check the word count on this Watchlist slide.
I think what makes this match great is the fact that it's aware of the audience's feelings at all times. These are the days of the "feeling Ucey" promos; the Bloodline are nominally the heels, but you couldn't pay the crowd to boo Sami Zayn during this period, and his "honorary" membership essentially made the entire group babyfaces. That's why the alleged babyfaces, Team Brawling Brutes, have the advantage going in, even though traditionally the heels should always have the advantage in WarGames. It's also why the match immediately begins with Pete Dunne (still rocking the "Butch" name but at least in a PPV match, which is more than I can say for him these days) torturing Jey Uso with submissions and finger breaks. Jey is the other piece of the puzzle; the crowd is desperate to cheer for him, and so the match begins with him getting his absolute ass kicked, which is objectively correct.
The true soul of the match, however, is the dynamic between Zayn and his eternal frenemy Kevin Owens, and the question of who will betray who by the end of the night. Fans by and large were expecting the Bloodline to turn on Sami, and WWE clearly knew it Owens started telling Sami it would happen himself, and Roman Reigns became preemptively suspicious of Sami, creating what appeared to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. The match is about the question of where Zayn's loyalties lie, and whether the Bloodline will embrace him or destroy him. That's why we have the wonderful little moment of Jimmy Uso trying to leave the Bloodline cage to help Jey, who has been getting more and more beat up, only for Roman to stop him and tell Zayn to go out instead. It's why Sami sacrificing himself for Jey despite Jey not trusting him is such a big deal in the early going.
It's also why Zayn and Owens never even touch for almost the entire match. In the build-up, the Bloodline had repeatedly attacked Owens, and while Zayn never stopped them, he also never joined in. He remained neutral, which is at the root of the Bloodline's suspicions. In WarGames, he tries to remain neutral toward Owens as long as he can, never attacking him or being attacked by him; the match teases it once or twice, but otherwise doesn't make a big deal of this initial separation, as the action focuses on other things. But finally, WarGames begins, and Owens ends up hitting a Stunner on Reigns and making the cover. Even now, Zayn doesn't attack Owens he jumps on the referee and prevents him from counting. This leads to Owens getting in Zayn's face ... and then Jey Uso gets in his face too. Sami can't remain neutral anymore. Jey throws a superkick; Owens catches it. Both men are off balance.
Of all the decisions that went into the late-stage Bloodline being one of WWE's best stories, the best decision by far was when Zayn finally made his choice, hitting Owens with a low blow and setting him up for Jey to splash and pin him to win the first-ever men's WarGames match on a WWE main roster show. What's actually happening here is a man making a terrible decision to betray his old friend and stay with his emotionally abusive adopted family. The bad guys win. The good guys lose. The crowd should theoretically be sad.
The crowd is elated, and the pop when the formerly distrusting Jey wraps Sami in a wild hug, fully embracing him into the Bloodline, is absolutely insane. The audience didn't want anybody to betray anybody; they weren't ready for "the Honorary Uce" run to end, and it turned out neither was WWE. It's such a great moment for the fans, while also being an spectacular character turn for Zayn, who went on to turn in possibly the best work of his entire career in the months that followed. It's the kind of thing that can only happen in pro wrestling, which is why re-watching it, I can now report 800 words later, still fills me with affection for thisaggressively stupid art form.
Written by Miles Schneiderman
Survivor Series: WarGames 2023 kicked off with the Women's WarGames match between the teams of Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Shotzi, and Becky Lynch against Damage CTRL's Bayley, Iyo Sky, Asuka, and Kairi Sane.
Much like the year before, it was a babyface alliance standing against Damage CTRL, with Sky having cashed in her Money in the Bank contract on Belair to take the Women's Championship at SummerSlam; Belair had defended the title over Asuka and Flair beforehand, with the former challenger at the time not aligned with the faction and presenting as a face.
As a result, Asuka and Flair renewed their former Tag Team Championship partnership to stand against Damage CTRL, while Belair was temporarily written off with an attack from the group. Both Asuka and Flair failed in subsequent opportunities at Sky, owing to interference, and Sky further retained the title over Belair at Crown Jewel thanks to the interference of a returning Sane, officially aligning with the group. After which, a tag match was booked pitting Belair, Flair, and Asuka against Damage CTRL, ending when Asuka turned on her team to align with the group for the first time. That was also when Shotzi tried to make the save and aligned herself with the babyface alliance, and they later picked Lynch as their last member of the team with WarGames on the approach.
The bout itself kicked off with Lynch and Bayley in the cage, although as Lynch locked in the Dis-Arm-Her, Dakota Kai managed to get involved through said cage. But it was the babyface side with the advantage, so the numbers game was soon used against the team that had made it their brand. Belair delivered two of her signature braid whips to Sky and Bayley. Sky put a trashcan on herself and delivered a moonsault from the top of the cage. Flair matched the moonsault from the top of the cage, never one to let a high spot go undone. Asuka went for the mist to Shotzi, missing and getting neutralized with a fire extinguisher from Belair. Ultimately, the tone for Bayley's singles arc was set with her taking a spear for Sane, receiving Belair, Shotzi, and Flair's killshots before Lynch dropped her with an avalanche Manhandle Slam through the table and got the winning pinfall.
It was complete with action, both a culmination of stories running for the months before and a setting of the tone for things to come. Sky and Flair find themselves on the same team heading into this year's Survivor Series opposite Sane and Asuka, and one way or another the route to that can be traced back to WarGames 2022, so it's more than worth the rewatch.
Written byMaxEverett
